The missing piece of the puzzle is that ACA was an attempt to achieve universal health care coverage. In that attempt, making the actuarial math even approach balance required that, yes, men paid for pregnancy coverage just as women helped pay for prostate exams.

Men subsidized women and vice versa. Young subsidized old. Healthy subsidized unhealthy. The plan relied on the sharing of costs without reference to gender, age, reproductive intent or ability, or health status.

And as Republicans now proceed with their “repeal and replace” effort, they are drawing fire from all sides – some complaining that AHCA does away with too much of what they considered “good” about Obamacare and others complaining that AHCA is too much like ACA and doesn’t represent any significant improvement. Some even say it creates additional problems.

In Mississippi, the health care debate is even more fundamental due to our state’s poverty. Medicaid is the second largest expenditure by the state after we pay for our educational systems. For those charged with public budgeting in Mississippi, there remains a bedrock fear is that an expanded public health care program would reduce resources for every other function of state government.

Daily Journal
3/13/17

Posted March 14, 2017 - 7:27 am

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